Distant Dream
by Felt95
Summary: A life on the streets is changed forever after an encounter by chance. What will the future hold now? ...Bleck, this is so cliche sounding...Just read the story if you want to know what it's about...dang lazy kids...
1. Chapter 1

Damn it, Damn it, Damn it…Gotta hurry… "Make way, coming through! Emergency here! Get outta the way!" I shouted as I barged into a crowd of people who were taking their sweet damn time walking on the sidewalk like they owned the place. Bunch of idiots…Don't they know some people have places to be? We don't all have all the time in the freaking world here! The entire crowd of people started screaming insults and curses at me, with a few of them just shooting me some ugly looks as I ran into them, not like I care though, they can shove it up their pretty, pampered little noses.

Argh in this rate I'll never make it in time! Damn it all! I can't miss another meal here! I just can't! I pick up my speed as I continue to run through the streets, with the only light source being the lights from all the obnoxiously huge and bright advertisements from stores and the lights from homes peeking out from their windows. I can't help but envy these idiots a bit…at least they have a home…

Bah, what am I thinking? I'm acting stupid, they're all just a bunch of morons, I shouldn't be jealous of any of them! Feh…They all think they're so much better than me…Just because I don't have a damn home to go back to they think I'm below them…Hrmph, stupid slack-jawed idiots! Every single last one of them!

…Though sometimes I wish I were one of those slack-jawed idiots…I mean, at least they don't have to worry about where they'll get their next meal …Whatever, I've been doing this for two years, I can do it for the rest of my life, no problem! I'm no wuss; I can take care of myself! Not like all of these losers, they probably wouldn't last one day in my shoes!

I take a break from my internal ranting and take a glance up towards the huge clock that towered above the entire city, it's practically impossible to miss, you'd have to blind or somethin' not to see that thing…Ah dang it! I'm so late! I'll miss dinner for sure now unless I start running until there's no tomorrow! Well…Better start doing that then!

I start bolting down the street, running as fast as my legs would carry me. I maneuvered my way through the crowded sidewalks, knocking into a few people on my way; they were just about as happy as the crowd that I barged into earlier. But I don't have time to worry about them; at this point all I'm worried about is my poor stomach! I need food, NOW! I don't care how many people I have to barge through to get some, heck I'd do anything for a good, warm meal right about now…

As I keep dashing down the street, avoiding running into too many people as I try making it across town. I suddenly feel a drop of water splash into my face. I look up to the sky and see that more raindrops are following after the first; it soon begins to turn into a heavy rain. Oh goody, now my dinner is going to be all soggy…could this day get any worse? As if to answer my question, some bozo drives one of their fancy looking automobiles into a murky looking puddle that was quickly formed by the rain, and drenches me in the dirty looking water… Lovely…

"Hey! You dumbass! Get back here! I'm going to kick your sorry ass for that! Don't you drive away from me you wuss! I'm talking to you here!" I scream at the genius who got me drenched in the dirty rain water, but he just kept on driving without a care in the world. The idiot got me soaking wet! My clothes are completely wet now…great, just great…it's going to be one cold night sleeping in this now…it was my only pair of clothes I had too…Oh whatever, I'll worry about my clothes later! I still need to get dinner!

I continued to run through the rain, it's no fun running in the rain…It doesn't help that it's freezing cold out here…I think I'm gonna catch a cold…Luckily I finally made it to my destination. Now to see about my dinner arrangements! I ran into a dark alleyway, with drool dripping down my face as I eagerly approached my food source, only to be completely let down by the sight before me. "Oh geez…are you kidding me!?" I scream in utter frustration, the bastards locked their damn dumpster! I'm too late! Why does the world hate me!?

I slump down into wet, cold ground in defeat; I can't believe this…all of that running all for nothing! I can't believe my luck…I mean, what kind of idiot locks a freaking dumpster anyways!? It's not like it's a bank or somethin', yeesh! This is probably one of the worst days of my life…You know what, no. There's no way I'm going to let a stupid lock make me look like an idiot! I refuse to let my stomach go hungry for another night!

I spot a perfectly good looking rock lying on the ground nearby; I began to grin happily as an idea popped into my head. I quickly snatched the rock up from the dirty ground it lied on and began to smash it into the lock that kept me away from my dinner. No lock is keeping me from enjoying my meal! The lock is surprisingly harder than it looks…Argh! Why won't the damn thing just break already and let me eat my damn dinner!?

I begin to hit the padlock with more force, it has to break eventually…I keep at it for a few more minutes until finally the padlock falls off and falls to the ground with a light thud. Finally! I can't help but cheer victoriously over my triumph over the padlock. Point one for me, padlock a big fat zero! Now…dinner is served!

I quickly threw the rock aside and eagerly opened the dumpster up, lifting up the lids to see what looks good…or at least edible. I begin to assess the dumpster's insides for anything that looks edible…A few old newspapers, no…a few crushed pop cans, apparently someone doesn't know how to recycle...some old cardboard boxes…some empty bottles…Aha! I finally spot something worth attention, a sandwich!

I lower myself into the dumpster to go pick up my well-deserved spoils, as I did I got a big whiff of the dumpster. My nose wrinkled and my eyes began to water from the stench. It smells like a mixture of alcohol, wet dog and vomit in here…I mean I know it's a dumpster and all, but geez…well, I guess my nose will just have to take one for the team here and suffer through it…bleh …

I pulled my prize out from the dumpster, taking a deep breath of fresh air as I surfaced from the dumpster. I was glad I didn't have to smell anymore of that...my nose was glad too. Fortunately for me whoever this sandwich belonged to didn't take too many bites from it, just a few nibbles here and there. It also didn't seem like it got too wet from the rain thanks to the dumpster sheltering it…it was actually pretty dry…thankfully whoever threw this away also left the wrapping paper on it, so it kept the sandwich itself mostly clean from the old dumpster's disgusting insides…

Well... Bon appétit. I was about to shove the whole thing in my mouth in one bite, but I was interrupted by some very loud growling. I'm pretty sure that wasn't my stomach…I look up from my meal and jump back from what I saw. I was no longer alone in the dark, dank alleyway. There was one pissed off looking dog staring at me while bared its sharp looking row of teeth. Its teeth were a nasty shade of yellow and were pretty disgusting looking…it didn't help that drool was dripping out of its mouth either. Its fur also looked pretty dirty and mangy, and the dog itself was pretty thin…I swear I could see its ribcage. It was definitely a stray dog…I slowly backed away from the intimidating dog, I was in no mood to be attacked by some crazy dog. That would definitely be the highlight of this day…

The dog slowly began to follow me, still with narrowed eyes and its teeth still looking as sharp and deadly as before. Well…Isn't this great…It looks like I'm in for a bit of a fight for dinner tonight… "Down boy…easy now…don't want any trouble here…" I say in the most soothing voice I could muster in an attempt to try and calm the mutt down.

My words didn't calm it down at all, in fact it seemed like they actually pissed it off even more, as it began barking at me angrily. It began to pounce at me suddenly; I guess the dog wasn't in the mood for negotiations…

Before the damn thing could bite my head off and use me as a rag doll, I began to run away from the crazed animal like a bat out of hell. I ran as quickly as I could, if that mutt caught me, I might lose more than just my dinner…Though even with me running as quickly as I could, the thing was catching up to me…It was kind of impressive, considering the terrible shape the dog looked in.

Ah crap! It'll over take me any second now! I'm a goner! As I continued to struggle to escape from the crazy animal, I did the only thing I could think of to improve my chances of surviving; I began to call for help.

"Help! Somebody, anybody, please help me! Please! I'm gonna be a snack in a few seconds here if someone doesn't do something!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I may have exaggerated a bit with my message with the whole snack thing…but at this point I was too scared to be thinking whether a dog would actually eat me or not, I was more concerned with getting away from said dog.

Eventually, what little luck I had, disappeared as I noticed a big old rusted metal fence blocking my way from escape. Crap! I'm no good at climbing fences! I looked back behind me to find that the dog was right at my heels. It looks like I either climb that fence or let that dog maul me to pieces, because I seriously doubt anyone is going to be saving my sorry hide anytime soon.

I jump up off from the ground and begin to try scaling the tall fence, frantically trying to scramble my way up before that dog catches me. Sadly, I can't get any footing on the fence, and my feet slip from under me, leaving me hanging on the fence by my arms. The dog uses this perfectly good opportunity to attack me, and bites me right on the leg.

I scream in pain from the dog's powerful bite, how can a dog bite this hard!? Gah! The pain from the bite is too much, and I lose my grip on the fence and fall onto the wet ground, smacking my head hard on the fall down.

I groggily sit up, with my vision being hazy and blurred; I take a look at my leg. I go pale in the face from what I saw; my leg was bleeding profusely, and had teeth marks in it. It doesn't look good at all…My focus is snapped back to the dog that had bitten me after it growled at me in a feral manner. Damn, there's no way I can get away from it now…I'm a goner…it looks like this is the end…

I brace myself for the worst, shielding my face with my arms as the dog takes slow, tired steps towards me. Just as it finally reached me, something unexpected happened. I was saved.

Before I could even tell what was going on, I heard the dog howl loudly in pain, I moved my arms away from my face just in time to see the mutt being knocked into the wall of the alleyway. I sat there, letting out a gasp of surprise, what the heck is going on?

I looked away from the dog and began to look for who, or what just saved my skin. I quickly found who I owed my life to. Standing in the alleyway was a woman; she had long red hair, which was tied in a long braid. She wore a large black coat, and a long red skirt that covered her entire legs. Her most notable feature was the huge, oversized glove she wore on her right hand, making her left hand look puny in comparison.

She slowly began to approach me, and kneeled down in front of me with a concerned expression on her face. I just sat there silently, still shocked at what had just happened. "Are you alright little one?" she asked soothingly, her voice was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard...wait, little?

Before I could answer, and correct her about my size, the dog recovered from its earlier hit, slowly rising up from the ground. It looked even angrier than before if that were possible, and quickly pounced at my savior.

"Hey watch-!" I screamed, but before I could complete my sentence, the woman quickly jumped back on her feet. Just before the dog could bite her, I saw something that was beyond all comprehension.

The woman brought back her huge, gloved hand back before thrusting her gloved palm right at the mutt's disgusting face. Her hand then began to glow with a bright, strawberry red colored light before it exploded in a blindingly bright light. I shielded my eyes from the sudden light, I swear, that thing is brighter than all of the lights in the entire city! Just…Just what the hell was that!?

Whatever that lady did, it sure did its job…the dog fell to the ground unconscious, with its body smoking from whatever that lady did to it…the dog looked a little beaten up, but it would live. I turned my attention right back to the woman who had saved me, she was panting for air, with her body hunched over. Whatever she did , it must have taken a lot outta her.

She quickly recovered from her fatigue, and returned her attention to me. "Phew…That was a close one, wasn't it? Are you alright little one?" I know she just saved my life and all, but could she PLEASE, stop calling me little!? I'm fourteen years old for god's sake!

I resisted the urge to yell at her and get the idea across that I'm not some little kid, and show my gratitude. "Y…Yeah…th-thanks for the help…" I say in a quiet voice. I still can't believe, or understand what I just saw…just….what in the world is this woman? Is she…even human?

She smiles warmly at me; in almost a motherly way…I haven't seen a smile like that since I last saw my mom… "That's a relief, I'm glad you're alright. Please be more careful in the future, the streets can be dangerous at night." What the…? Is she just going to talk to me like I didn't just see what just happened!?

"Just…Just what the hell was that…?" I stutter out, there's no way she's just going to go on her merry old way without explaining what the heck just happened!

She raises an eyebrow at my question, "Pardon?"

"Th-That! What you just did to that mangy mutt over there!" I yelled, pointing at the unconscious body of the mutt she knocked out.

"Oh, that? That was magic." She replies as if everything was normal. What the hell is this woman mental or something? Magic is just a bunch of old fairy tales… I stare at her with disbelief, unable to believe her answer.

"…Magic?" I repeat, I must have heard her wrong…

She puts a finger to her lower lip before saying, "Well…I suppose it really isn't magic…it's more like…artificial magic."

Artificial magic? "…Artificial…magic?"

"Yes, that would be correct!" she confirms with a smile. Well, what a day this turned out to be…first I'm chased by a crazy dog, and then my life is saved by an insane woman…well, I suppose there have been stranger days…maybe. I'm snapped out of my thoughts as the woman begins to speak to me again. "What's your name little one?"

It's been a while since anyone has asked me for my name…I was so surprised by the question, I didn't even bother snapping at her for calling me little, "Ch-Chiyuri…Chiyuri Kitashirikawa." I reply timidly, this woman may be crazy and delusional, but that doesn't mean she couldn't beat the living crap out of me. What she did to that dog was evidence enough of what she could do…

"A pleasure to meet you little Chiyuri!" she replies cheerfully with a big smile on her face, I swear if she calls me little one more time… "I'm Yumemi Okazaki." She introduces herself as.

I think this is my cue to get the heck away from this woman… "Yeah well…thanks for saving my neck Ms. Yumemi…I think I'll go home and eat dinner now…" I say as I get up from the ground, dusting my coat off. Luckily I didn't lose my grip on my dinner, so tonight wasn't a total loss…

"Oh? Why don't I escort you home then?" Yumemi offers. Well shit…

I try to make a believable lie, "Oh no, that's….that's alright, I can make it home myself, it's really far away, I don't want to trouble you…" Just leave me alone you nutcase…

"All the more reason for me to escort you home! As I've said before, the streets can be quite dangerous at night!" she insists. Crap! I can't think of any way to fight against her logic…

Oh geez…may as well come out with it… "Fine, I don't have a home. Happy? Now leave me alone." I say to her dismissively, I'm probably not exactly showing a lot of gratitude here, but I just want her to leave me alone…

She looks astonished by my revelation, as she just stares at me with a puzzled look on her face. "…You're homeless?"

"Yes! Now just leave me alone so I can enjoy my damn dinner in peace!" I yelled before taking a bite out of the sandwich that almost cost me my life. I grimaced a bit from the taste; sandwiches weren't exactly that good tasting after they've been sitting in a dumpster for a while. It didn't help that the rain made it soggy.

Yumemi just gave me a sad look, one of sympathy, as she watched me chew on my food. Bleck…this sandwich is nasty…but food is food. My meal was interrupted by Yumemi. "Little Chiyuri-"

"I'm not little, you got that?" I cut off; I'm in no mood to deal with this woman.

She pauses before continuing, "I'm sorry, Ms. Chiyuri…would you care to join me for a meal?" say what? "I mean, if you'd like to."

"…You buying?" I ask. It's hard to go out anywhere when you don't have any spare change in your wallet.

She giggles at my response, "Of course."

Well…I've never passed a free meal down before, why start today? "Sure, that'd be nice." I reply. I'm just glad I don't have to finish this sandwich, it wasn't exactly appetizing…

"Wonderful! Follow me!" she replies enthusiastically as she takes me by the hand, leading me out of the alley. I wonder what I just got myself into here…well, as long as there's free food, I won't complain.

As we pass by the dog on our way out, which was still out cold from the blow Yumemi gave it, I dropped the old sandwich next to it. It's not like I need it anymore anyways, it needs it more than I do right now… besides we're kind of alike, me and that dog. We were both just trying to survive; I can't really blame it for doing what it did…

So I continued to let Yumemi lead me out from the alleyway, as she guided me to wherever she was taking me. I still feel a little uneasy around her…but she is pretty nice…for a crazy person anyways.

* * *

**A/N: Well hello there people, great to see ya if your reading this! I guess this kind of came out of nowhere...But this was honestly an idea that I had for a while now, and I really wanted to put it into motion! So...you get this. :P A Yumemi and Chiyuri centric story, fun, no? **

**Readers of my other story up here probably know that TouHou characters from the PC-98 era haven't appeared at all, so a story with a PC-98 character in it is a little surprising, no? Especially since they're the main characters. This is also the first TouHou story I've written that doesn't take place in Gensokyo, allowing me to use a bit of a more modern day setting.  
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**I decided to make this a first person story, simply to experiment with it. May have been a little risky, but I think it turned out alright for the most part...Anyways, for those looking forward to more Colorful Days chapters(For only god knows why...)You may have to wait a little while, I'm still taking a break from it for a little bit longer...but don't worry, Colorful Days won't be taking a back seat to this story. This is just more of a short side project that'll probably be less than 10 chapters.  
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**Well...I'll stop my rambling now, as I've been yacking about this for a while now...I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the rest of it! P.S, Why isn't Yumemi an option on the characters list!?  
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	2. Chapter 2

After making our way through the busy city streets, we finally made it to the place Yumemi had in mind to grab a bite to eat at. The place was some western style restaurant, so I wasn't expecting to find anything like sushi or ramen here, not that I really care, food is food. You take what you can get. A waiter with a fancy little mustache in a posh looking tuxedo showed us to our seats, he recognized Yumemi, so I'm guessing she's a regular customer or something…We sat down at a small table, just big enough to seat the two of us.

The waiter then quickly pulled out two menus, and left to go serve some other customers as he waited for us to make up our minds on our choice of food. As he walked away in long strides, I could have sworn he glared at me like I'm some sort of criminal or somethin'…I guess it could do something with the way I was dressed…and smelled…Eh, whatever, screw him.

While I skimmed the menu for anything that looked any good, Yumemi slipped off her big bulky coat and her huge metallic glove…thing, I'm surprised no one said anything about the thing... it really isn't a very subtle choice for a glove. As she hung her coat on the back of her chair and placed her glove on the floor next to her seat, I was surprised to see what was hidden underneath her large layer of clothing. She wore a white long-sleeved blouse under a red vest with golden buttons on it, though she had a pretty nice getup on, that wasn't what astonished me…Yumemi had one nice body…I can't help but be somewhat envious, I mean…damn. Crazy or not, there's no way she can be single…not with a body like that…She is one hot ticket.

"Is there something wrong, Ms. Chiyuri?" she suddenly asked.

I quickly looked away with blushing red cheeks. "H-Huh? N-No! Nothing! Nothing at all…" I reply meekly.

"Oh, I see…It was just that you seemed to be in a trance of some sort…and your jaw was hanging wide open. But if nothing is wrong…" Yumemi trailed off. Oh geez! Was I really gawking at her like…like…some sort of perv!? Man, how embarrassing…

Yumemi mustn't have thought I staring at her like some sort of weirdo, that or she was giving me the benefit of the doubt and shrugged it off as she began to try stirring up a conversation. "So, Ms. Chiyuri…I must ask, how long have you been living on the streets?" she asked, "I mean…I can't imagine a girl your age being out alone in the world fending for herself, surviving only on table scraps…"

Oh rats…I guess I shoulda seen this coming… "I dunno…Maybe a two…three years? I kinda lost track after a while…" I reply casually as I lean back in my chair. These chairs are surprisingly comfy despite their appearance…Wouldn't mind sitting in one of these every once in a while…

Yumemi looked a little sick after hearing my answer, her skin turned milky white. "Th…Three years?" she asked in disbelief. I just nodded as I looked out the window, where raindrops slid down the glass…it's somewhat mesmerizing. "How can that be? Don't you have any parents? A guardian perhaps?"

"Nope, and nope." I replied. What's the big deal anyways? Yeesh…

"I…I see…" she mutters as she stares at her reflection on the table's shiny surface. Man, whoever cleaned this table is a pro, the thing is spotless… "Do you have any education?"

I snap out of my thoughts upon hearing the question, and return my focus back to my meal ticket who sat across from me. "Used to. I know some basic math…and I can read…that enough education for ya?" I nonchalantly reply.

She didn't seem to like the answer to that question either, as her mouth opened wide with astonishment. "You…Only know basic math and reading skills…?"

"Yeah…So? What are you a teacher or something? I don't see the big deal here. Not like math and reading and all that other garbage will do me much good on the streets."

"Close, I'm actually a professor…" A professor, seriously? "She doesn't look that much older than me…damn, beauty and brains… I quickly take a look at her hands. No ring…How hasn't someone slapped a ring on that yet? I mean, her only downside is that she's a little nuts… "And it very much so is a big deal! Education is important!" she preaches to me.

"Listen professor, book smarts are nice…y'know, if you live in a nice house and drive a fancy sports car or whatever. But they're useless for someone like me, only smarts I need are the street kind, you get me?" I retort.

"Hmmmmm…"

"Hmmmmm? Hmmmmm? What's, Hmmmmm, mean?" I ask.

"…Nothing, Ms. Chiyuri, I'm simply thinking to myself…do not mind me…" she replies as she returns her gaze to her reflection. Well alright then…

The waiter soon returned to take our orders; I couldn't really find anything that I particularly wanted…So I just ordered one of everything. The waiter looked completely shocked, I swear, his jaw almost dropped to the ground when I ordered. I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. Yumemi on the other hand, just ordered "the usual." The waiter silently nodded and jotted down our orders on a small paper notepad, and informed us that our meals would arrive soon.

Before he walked off, I caught a glimpse of him giving me a disgusted look. I turned around to glare at his back as he disappeared into the kitchen. Worthless coward…if you're gonna do that, at least have the courage to do it to my face…Hrmph…

Yumemi also seemed to notice the dirty look I received from him as she looks at him with a stern expression before she turns to me and says, "Ignore him, Ms. Chiyuri, he may a be a good waiter, but that doesn't speak for his character."

I'm a little surprised that she's comforting me…I mean, I've been rude to her ever since she saved my sorry behind…It also makes me want to ask her a question I've had on my mind for a while now…

"Hey…Yumemi?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you treating me so nicely?" I ask, causing her to raise an eyebrow at my question. "I mean…most people just think I'm some no good delinquent, or that I'm not worth their time, or that I'm some dirty disease ridden street rat, y'know? Yet here you are, treating me like I'm well…worth your time…and apparently your money too."

"Well, let me put it this way…Don't judge a book by its cover. I don't judge someone by their appearance; I judge them by their character. All of those things that you called yourself aren't true, some may see you as some street rat as you phrased it…but I don't see that at all, I see a young woman who has potential to do anything she sets her mind to. Is that a satisfactory answer, Ms. Chiyuri?"

I can't help but get a little teary eyed from her explanation…No one has treated me this way longer than I can remember…I turn my head to the side, so I can keep my dignity intact, But she notices anyways…

"Ms. Chiyuri are you…crying?"

"N-No! I just got something in my eye is all!" I lie.

"Oh, sorry, my mistake." She replies, dropping the subject. I wonder if she actually believes me, or she's just trying to spare my feelings…This lady is hard to read. Seriosuly, she's just one big puzzle…

"So, Ms. Chiyuri…" Yumemi begins, grabbing my attention. "What do you do for shelter?" Oh not this again…

"I dunno…Anywhere that's dry? I just go somewhere else every day for shelter…" I reply. I'd just stick with one place if I could, but most of the time animals take them for themselves, and they aren't usually willing to share a place…Plus it ain't like I can fight them for it, I'd just end up getting myself killed that way…

"Mmmmmm…" she didn't seem to like that answer either…Why is she so interested in me anyways?

Before I could bother to ask her, our food arrived. That same waiter with his fancy little mustache led at least ten other waiters in identical uniforms to our table, all of them carrying plates of food…I think I might be drooling…The waiter still gave me a dirty look, but he set the plates down in front of each of us silently, with all of the waiters following his actions. Soon enough the entire table was covered with plates, you couldn't even see the table's shiny surface anymore! So much food!

"Ladies… your dinner is served." The waiter with the mustache said in a weird sounding accent before leaving us to eat our meals in peace. The other few customers in the joint stared at us with wide eyes and hanging jaws as they took in the sight of the huge spread on our table.

Heehee…What to bite into first? Everything looks so good…Well I guess anything would look good after you've been eating from dumpsters for the past few years… I take my eyes from the mountain of food sitting across from me and take a look a t what Yumemi's having. In front of her was some weird looking dish…It looks like a bunch of noodles with some red sauce covering it, and on top of that, there were some weird balls of…something…maybe meat? I've never seen anything like that before.

"Hey, what is that?" I ask as I point to her meal.

Yumemi takes a quick look where I pointed, then returned her eyes to me before replying. "This? This is spaghetti, it's an Italian dish if I'm not mistaken…I've taken quite a liking to it." She replies happily before taking her first bites out of that spaghetti thing.

"Oh, alright…Never seen anything like that before." I say before taking a big bite out of whatever was in front of me. It was some sort of sandwich, tasted pretty good, but it wasn't like any sandwich I've ever eaten before though.

Yumemi finished her meal pretty quickly, giving a relieved sigh as she swallowed her last bites of her spaghetti. "Ah…What a good meal…this place never disappoints." She says as she contently rubs her stomach.

"Yeah, this place isn't half bad, I'll admit." I reply.

"I'm glad you like it…But are you really going to eat all of that?" Yumemi questioned as she gestured to the still decent sized pile of food that was still left untouched.

"Of course I am! It'd be a waste of food if I didn't!" As a person who's been living on scraps for the last few years, I've learned to eat every bit of food you can shove down your throat, no matter what it is.

"Aren't you concerned about gaining weight though? That seems to be a particular concern of today's youth…"

"Nah…It's not like I'll keep any weight I gain for long, sometimes its days before I find something to eat, besides, it's not like I eat like this every day you know." I reply before shoving an entire piece of some chicken thing in my mouth, I wonder what this is called anyways…Maybe I should've bothered to read the menu closer…

"Really? That sounds…awful…Haven't you ever considered going to an orphanage, or contacting a city official? I'm sure they would find you a good, loving home to live in, away from this life." Yumemi suggests…I can't help but think she wanted to make this suggestion of hers for a while now… I'm immediately repulsed by the idea.

"Hell no! I'm not going to some orphanage! I don't need babysitting lady; I can take care of myself!" I say defiantly.

She looks a little taken aback by my outburst; she blinks a few times before speaking. "I'm sure you can, Ms. Chiyuri…but even the strongest of people need someone to depend on, someone who loves and cares for them…"

"Ah, geez professor, don't start getting all sappy and sentimental now…yeesh. I know how this family crap works, your parents set up expectations for you, and unless you follow these expectations perfectly, you're nothing but a big disappointment, an embarrassment, a failure. Nothing more, nothin' less." I say to her, causing her to go awful quiet. Hey, just telling the truth here lady, I experienced it first-hand here. Not my problem if she can't handle the truth.

"…That's not true." She states plainly. What? "I don't know where you got such ideas from, but they aren't true."

"Yeah…Whatever you say…" I mutter back. "But I'm not going to some orphanage, you get me? I'd rather take my chances on the streets."

"Very well…I see your stance on orphanages then…" Yumemi says, "But…I'm not letting you live on the streets either." Eh, the hell is that supposed to mean? "Which is why, from now on, you'll be living with me." EH!?

"Eh, did…did I hear you right there? Live…with you?"

"Yes, correct. You heard right." She confirms.

"W-Well gee…that's a nice offer and all but…"

"It isn't an offer, it's a command." Er…what?

"Uh…come again now?"

"You don't have any choice in the matter, Ms. Chiyuri, I refuse to let a girl your age wander around by yourself. It's dangerous in the world, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that someone your age is running around homeless."

"Look…Thanks for the concern and all, but I can take care of myself. Life on the streets isn't anything I can't handle." I say reassuringly.

"Yes, so you've said before…Even so, I insist you stay with me." Argh, she just doesn't quit!

"I don't need your help; honestly…you've done enough for me already, so-"

"Either you stay with me, or I'm taking you to an orphanage, what would you prefer?" She asks casually. Damn…she's good.

I sigh in defeat before answering, "Alright…you got me…I guess I'm staying with you…happy?" I can't believe I just lost an argument to a nut job…I must be losing my edge.

"Very." She says with a smile. "Now, shall we be off? We must be showing you to your new home now, Ms. Chiyuri." She gets out of her chair, and I do the same, following her out of the restraint and to wherever the heck she lives…what did I just get myself into here…? Just an hour ago I was just trying to get a flippin' sandwich, the next I'm going off to live to some weirdo who believes in magic, or artificial magic or whatever, and as far as I know that's exactly what she used to save my life…Man, what a day…

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**A/N: Well, finally got this done…I've been wanting to finish this for a while, I'm a little surprised I took this long to write this actually. The first chapter of this was at least a thousand words longer, and I finished it in two days. Eh, must be getting slower at this...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; hopefully the next one will be longer. Other than that, I honestly have nothing else to say...a little surprising since I love to ramble on like an old man in these notes. Well, until then I suppose.**


	3. Chapter 3

You know, I never envisioned that this was where my life was headed. I always assumed I'd be living the rest of my life on the streets, with only the clothes I took from the lost and found on my back. I never saw this coming, you know…me going off to live with some redhead professor chick with some weird ass power glove thing…oh, and did I mention the great possibility that she's completely insane? Life sure does manage to surprise me every day…

Yumemi seems nice enough though…and she does seem to have some sort of genuine concern for me for some reason. But all the same, I don't wanna get mixed in with this lady. Living with someone who believes in magic or artificial magic or whatever the hell she called it just doesn't sound like a fantastic idea to me. But despite her obvious insanity here, she's no bimbo, she basically made me come with her without using any force at all…damn orphanage, if she didn't have that on me, I'd just get the heck away from her…Well, nothing to be gained in giving up now! I bet I can think of some way around her logic!

"Hey, Yumemi." I say to get her attention; she looks at me right in the eye, as if to tell me that she's all ears. "I've been thinking and well…isn't taking guardianship of a minor without the proper paper work like illegal or something? I sure wouldn't want you to be breaking the law just to help little old me out…" I say with fake concern, putting a pout on my face for good measure. Ha! Think your way outta this one Yumemi!

"Perhaps." She replies casually. Er…what!? Isn't she just a little bit worried about breaking the law…?

"Uh…Shouldn't you be a little more…well concerned about the law?" I ask, "You could be thrown into the slammer for a reeeeeeeeeeal long time! A lady like you wouldn't last a single day in there! They'd eat you alive in there man!"

"I know what you're trying to do, Ms. Chiyuri. I'm not a fool you know." She says monotonously. Wah! She's on to me!

"Wh-Whatever do you mean Ms. Yumemi…? I-I'm just looking after your wellbeing h-here…" I try to say as convincingly as possible…something tells me she won't buy it.

"Really now? I suppose if you're so worried about me, I guess we'll just have to take you to an orphanage then, won't that be lovely?" she says with a sly smile. Damn it! Not the orphanage card again!

"O-On second thought, screw the law! Yeah! Live life on the edge Yumemi!"

Yumemi laughs, "Well…That's an interesting way to put it…" she wipes a tear from her eye and looks up to the giant clock towering above the city. "Hmmmmm, it's getting awfully late…we had better pick up our pace. We wouldn't want to be out too late now…the streets can be dangerous in the later hours of the day…Plus I want you to get situated to your new home. Come along now Chiyuri, don't dwaddle."

"Y-Yeah, alright. I'm comin'…" Dang it, this isn't over! I'm not going down without a fight!

After another few minutes of walking around the crowded city streets, we finally reach Yumemi's home. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting of a person who's living is a professor…

"You…live in an apartment?" I ask in disbelief. Seriously, aren't professors supposed to be well…rich enough to afford their own place? Professors usually live in flipping mansions around here for crying out loud!

"Yes, that's right." She confirms, "It's not anything too posh, but it's nice and cozy, and you have a roof over your head. So I see no reason to complain." Wait…I just got an idea…if it works, I can say goodbye to this nutcase for good!

"Wait, an apartment!? This will never work! Your landlord will never allow you to have another person living with you! He'll think your cheating him out of rent! Oh well…Thanks anyways, have a nice life, I'll just-"

"Oh, thank you for reminding me. I'll have to explain to him that you'll be staying with me from now on…good thinking Ms. Chiyuri." She says happily. Damn it! I'm getting really sick of this!

After one very brief and very vague explanation of why I'll be living with Yumemi in her apartment, we finally went to Yumemi's room in the place. The landowner was surprisingly nice and understanding about the whole thing, he even split the rate for rent a little just for Yumemi. She must be well liked around here or something…if only they knew the truth about her…

"Well, we're finally here, just let e unlock the door and I'll show you to your new home!" she begins digging a pair of keys out from her coat packet, and then proceeds to unlock the door with them. The fact that a professor, one of the best jobs you can get in the city, was living in a rundown apartment building was surprising, but what was behind that door was just down right shocking.

"What the…" her apartment…it was so…messy! I mean…how could such a well-mannered person like her be this messy!? Her coffee table was covered in screws, tools and other mechanical parts, along with a bunch of papers with weird drawings on them, maybe they were blueprints? The small kitchen area was covered in papers that I had no clue what they were for, but they sure were scattered all over the place! It looked like a freaking bomb went off in here or something!

Yumemi looked embarrassed by her apartment's messy condition, as she rubbed the back of her head and let out a sheepish laugh. "I've been meaning to clean the place up a bit…please excuse the mess…"

I honestly can't stand messy places…even when I lived on the streets, I did my best to keep my temporary stomping grounds clean and tidy…Just because I'm homeless doesn't mean I have to live like I am!

"Now, I suppose you haven't had a good bath for a while now judging by your scent, so why not freshen up and clean yourself up a little bit while I tidy things up?" she suggested as she picked up a stack of papers up from her kitchen counter and began to straighten them up. Judging by my scent? Oh come on! I don't smell that bad…I take a quick whiff of myself and immediately disagree with myself.

Well…a bath does sound nice… "Alright, I guess I'll do that…" I mutter.

"The bathroom is right over there." She points to a white door within the room. "Feel free to make yourself at home. Oh, and don't forget to scrub behind the ears!"

"Uh, yeah…I'll be sure to you know…do that…" I mumble back as I head to the room she pointed to, after seeing this warzone of an apartment, my hopes of a clean bathroom is very slim. It'll be nice to take a bath regardless; I haven't had a decent bath in…Uhhhh…well…a long time.

As I opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised. This bathroom is so clean! I mean wow! Everything is sorted neatly, the mirror doesn't have a single smudge on it, and the towels are nice and clean. The place is spotless! Seriously, the bathroom is a stark contrast to the rest of her apartment.

I quickly turn on the faucet for her bathtub, which in turn releases nice clear looking water. Steam soon begins to rise from the tub from the heat, not that I mind all that much about heat. Heck, after you've been using cold rain water to clean your hair, I won't mind having some steaming hot water for once...

As soon as the bathtub fills with water completely, I turn off the faucet, and was about to eagerly jump into the bath, but I realized something. I'm still wearing my old clothes…I'm not sure how comfortable I actually am to be stripping down in some lady's house…especially when you haven't even known her for a day…

I tentatively begin to look around for anything suspicious, I'm not a fan of having my privacy violated…As soon as I'm sure no one's peeking, I begin to take off my old dirty clothing. Actually, it looks like I'm starting to outgrow these clothes…I guess they had a good run though, considering I've been wearing them all year.

Even though I checked everything out, I still can't help but feel a little nervous…so I jump in the tub as quickly as possible, I'm just gonna take this bath and get out as soon as I'm done. Or at least, that was my plan…but this bathtub ended up being a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be…It's so comfortable that I ended up letting out a groan of pleasure.

Yumemi seems to hear this as she begins to speak to me from the other room. "Is everything alright in there Ms. Chiyuri?" Dang, she's got some sharp ears…

"N-No! Nothing, everything is f-fine, go back to whatever you were doing!" I stutter out, I do NOT want her coming in here. That'd just be the best end to the greatest day ever…having some lady see me buck naked in her tub…Ugh…

"Alright, just give me a call if you need anything. I'll set out a fresh pair of clothes for you to change into once you're done in there." Yumemi replies. I can't help but be relieved that she's being nice enough to give me some clothes…Not sure how much longer those old rags would hold out for.

I sat in the tub for much longer than I had originally planned; I think I ended up soaking in there for at least an hour before I finally got out. As I stepped out, I wrapped a towel around myself, covering the more personal parts of my body. I slowly approached the mirror and looked eye to eye to the person in it. I had forgotten how long it has been since I looked at my own reflection…It was like looking at a completely different person…The only indication that I was looking at myself was that my reflection followed every movement I made.

My hair was long and messy, though it was now sparkling clean thanks to that well needed bath. Despite the years on the streets, my hair still kept its bright blonde color. Surprisingly enough, I'm told that this was my natural hair color…an odd hair color considering none of my ancestors were blondes…

I tentatively stroked my hair, as I just stared in awe of myself. The only thing that kept me from staring at myself in disbelief was the sudden interruption by Yumemi. She knocked gently on the door.

"Ms. Chiyuri, I have a fresh pair of clothes for you as promised. May I enter?" she asked.

"Huh? Uh, yeah…you can come in." I answer. Now that I'm properly covered up, I'm not going to worry about her barging in anymore. I feel a little bit more at ease around here now…

The door slowly swung open with a small creaking noise, and Yumemi stepped into the room, averting her eyes from me as she carried in the pair of clothes she promised me. "Here you are, a fresh change of clothes. I hope they'll fit you alright…" she says as she holds them out to me, waiting for me to take them from her. I can't help but notice that she's avoiding taking a single peep at me.

"Thanks…Uh…Y'know I'm covered up right now…right?" I ask as I accept the clothes.

"I'm aware. I'd just hate to make you feel uncomfortable. I'll give you some privacy now; once you're dressed I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping." She says as she exits the room, closing the door behind herself. Huh…well that was an abrupt exit…maybe she's shy…heehee…that's good to know.

I quickly put on the clothes Yumemi gave me to wear, which consisted of a red long sleeved shirt, and a pair of long red pants…this lady must like the color red or something…speaking of which, it's still unsettling to see that her eyes are red…I can accept the red hair, but the red eyes are just a little creepy…I mean, that's definitely not a natural eye color…

As soon as I'm completely dressed, I leave the bathroom, only to be completely shocked. The place is completely spotless. I mean, I know she said she would tidy up but…Dang. Yumemi sure doesn't mess around.

"Ah, I see they're a good fit." Yumemi says as she enters the room.

"Yeah…fits me just fine. But uh…no offense, but red really isn't my color…" I say. If I'm going to have to live with this lady, I'm at least gonna get whatever color of pajamas I want. No discussion.

"I see, don't worry about that…We'll be going shopping tomorrow, you can pick out any pair of night clothing you please then." Shopping?

"Shopping? Shopping for what?" I ask. I can't help but be a little curious.

"For some new clothes for you of course, silly." She replies, "I can't have you strolling around in those rags now, can I?" S-Seriously!? Clothes shopping!? Yes! I haven't gone shopping in forever! I can't help but grow a grin on my face at the thought.

Yumemi sees this and breaks into some light laughter. "I see that you're excited by the prospect. Let me show you to your room, I'm sure you're tired after everything that you've gone through tonight." I hate to admit it, but she's kinda right…I'm exhausted…plus I've been looking forward to sleeping on a mattress for the first time in years, my back is really killing me…

Yumemi leads me into another room in her apartment; it was slightly smaller in size than the main room where the living and kitchen area was in. The room was just the right size for a bedroom, not too big, not too small, just perfect. In the middle of the room there was a bed that had red covers on it. I'm starting to think Yumemi likes the color red. The pillows were white, making them stick out a bit from the large sea of red on the bed…Huh, poet and I didn't even know it.

"Well, here we are. I hope you don't mind the color of the bedding…Heh…" she laughs nervously.

"Nah, the color is fine. Just so long as it's comfortable." I shrug off. Yumemi take on a relieved expression from my response.

"Good, I'm glad…Now, I'll leave you alone. If you need anything just ask." She said as she began to head for the door.

"What about you though?" I ask, causing her to turn back to face me. "I mean…Where are you going to sleep? I'm obviously sleeping in your bed here…" I sure as heck didn't see any other beds around here…

"Oh, I'll just be sleeping on the couch tonight. I need to record some data on my latest test run anyways…" she replied, "Rest well, Ms. Chiyuri." She said with a motherly smile as she left, closing the door behind herself, and leaving me sitting in her bed, alone in the darkness. I wonder what she meant by 'recording data on my latest test run'…It definitely must have something to do with that contraption she used to save my keester tonight…

You know…Maybe I should just give in and just accept this new life here…I mean, Yumemi may be a little weird…but she's also the only person who's ever treated me so kindly before in recent memory. Plus…I dunno, something about Yumemi makes me feel…safe? I don't know what to call it…But I should at least give her a chance, she is giving her bed up for me tonight after all. I can't say a lot of people have done that for me in the past…. guess there's no harm in living with her…I mean, what's there to lose?

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**A/N: Well, another chapter of this complete, hoozah! I decided I should get this story rolling a little more before giving it a rest for a little while…I may just focus on this until it's finally complete actually. I mean, this story isn't exactly planned to be long or horribly drawn out. I plan for this to be less than ten chapters…but plans can change, I suppose...So we'll just have to see where things go now, won't we?**

**Thanks to those who've reviewed this little thing so far, it's a real motivation booster! Hopefully more chapters will come out soon! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ungh…Is it morning already…? Well…guess it's time to start the day then… I groggily begin to sit myself up, and wipe the drowsiness out of my eyes. Man, I'm beat…As my vision begins to focus; my eyes go wide as I stare at my surroundings with shock. I sat on a bed in a room with light blue wallpaper. Next to me was a small night stand that had a book without a title written on its cover. So…It wasn't a dream then…Everything that happened last night was definitely real...

I can't but feel a little worried, Yumemi is just a big bag of mysteries to me…So much about her is unexplained…like that red aura thing…that glove…and well…everything! She doesn't seem hostile or anything though…so I'm not worried about her murdering me in my sleep or anything like that…still shouldn't let my guard down though, not until I learn more about her.

Well, guess there's no point in sitting in bed all day now…better go greet Yumemi…man, how the heck did I wind up getting stuck with this lady…? It still feels so unreal…this'll take some getting used to…maybe.

I slowly get out of bed, making sure to fix Yumemi's bed before I left the room. It'd be rude of me not to fix it; after all, this is her bed. Sleeping in a bed sure does beat lying on concrete, sleeping on concrete definitely doesn't do any favors for your spine, that's for sure…man; my back feels ten times better now! I feel like I could handle anything now!

I swing the door wide open and left the room behind, and entered the main room of the apartment. As soon as I stepped into the room, a sweet aroma entered my nose…man something sure does smell great!

The scent came from the small kitchen area sitting in the corner of the room. Yumemi had her back to me as she was occupied with making something…must be breakfast if I had to guess. If it tastes as good as it smells I sure wouldn't mind having a helping of whatever in the heck she's making. Yumemi doesn't appear to notice my entry, as she doesn't bother to turn around and face me. She just kept on humming some weird repetitive melody to herself.

Hmmmmmm, well…if I'm gonna be stuck here, may as well have some fun…I think to myself as a grin grew on my face. I slowly crept up behind the unwary redhead, stepping lightly to avoid getting her attention. As I finally reached her, I inhaled as much air into my lungs as possible.

"Gooooooooooooood morning Yumemi!" I shout into her ear, causing her to jump up in surprise and drop whatever she was making. Luckily for her, it just landed back into the frying pan below, which sat on a stove as one of the burners heated it.

Yumemi began to breathe heavily in an attempt to catch her breath, clutching her chest as she did. I guess she doesn't take surprises very well…heehee, more fun for me that way!

She recomposed herself before weakly replying, "G…Good morning…Ms. Chiyuri…" she kept gulping down breaths of air like there was no tomorrow after returning my greeting, maybe I should go a little more easy on her from now on…yikes, she even looks a little pale.

"Er…you alright there?" I ask, as she continued to take greedy portions of air into her lungs.

"Never…Better. Just please don't do that again, Ms. Chiyuri…hoo…" she answers. "I think you scared a year of my life away…"

"Yeah…sorry about that…didn't know you'd freak out that much…" I apologize, "So um…what're you making there?" I ask, abruptly changing the subject.

"Oh…Just some breakfast." She says as she returns to her work, "We have a big day ahead of us, so it's best that we eat a big breakfast!"

"Huh? Big day?"

"Yes, a big day! We're going to get you some nice new clothes; we can't have you wearing my clothes all the time now, can we? They're a little too big for you." She says enthusiastically, looking like she recovered from her earlier scare.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, we were going shopping! I honestly can't wait; I haven't gone shopping in years! I'm so excited!

Yumemi notices the big grin that grew on my face and laughed lightly, "I see that you're excited! Now eat up, I want to get going as soon as possible, we have a lot of work ahead of us!" she says as she gets out two plates from a cupboard and hands me one. She begins to load the plate up with a mountain of food before filling hers up as well.

After finishing the meal Yumemi made, she gave me a pair of her clothes to wear until I had some of my own to wear. The clothes she gave me were a white long sleeved blouse, along with a pair of long brown pants. I never really took her as the type to wear pants for some reason...

As soon as I was dressed, we headed out to the city to begin our little shopping trip. She seemed like she wanted to get out of the apartment as soon as possible…not that it was a problem, I was itching to get going myself. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, and was just the right temperature, nice and warm…I wish every day was this nice out…

The streets were a little less busy from the night before, but the place was still bustling with activity, as the stores began to get ready to open for the day and make some money off whoever would buy whatever junk they put up for sale. I've seen this happen hundreds of times, but this was the first time I had any money to buy their junk with...this was also the first time I actually cared. I couldn't help but gawk at all the things that were up for sale. From nice looking clothes to beautiful looking jewelry, you could definitely find whatever you were looking for here in the city.

I had no clue where to start to go looking for clothes…luckily my redheaded pal here knew just where to go. She dragged me all over the place, buying any clothes that I liked, they weren't anything too extraordinarily fancy or spectacular like some rich snob would wear, but to me everything Yumemi bought for me was irreplaceable treasure. It was a long time ago when I had clothes this nice, I definitely won't take them for granted, that's for sure…

Later in the afternoon, both Yumemi's and my hands were occupied with bags full of clothes, all of them for me. I still can't believe she would be so willing to go out and buy some new clothing for a girl she hasn't even known for a complete day…then again, she also bought me an entire menus worth of food before she even knew me for an hour. She must be pretty charitable…or very stupid, one of the two.

Though both of us had our hands full of bags from one long shopping trip and I was just about ready to call it a day for this little shopping trip, she insisted we visit a nice little store she knew of. Man, how can she want to still keep shopping after all of the crap she bought for me? Her wallet is going to be a heck of a lot less fat now…I'd have thought she'd want to pack up and head home by now. Hmmmmm… Maybe she doesn't get many opportunities to go out? Who knows…

After a little bit more walking, she brought me to some little shack of a store; the sign in front of the place had begun to fade, making the name of the store completely unreadable. That probably didn't help with business…

With this place's condition, my hopes of finding anything wearable in the store were slim at most. Not that I cared if they had anything or not, Yumemi already bought me an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes…I'm beginning to wonder why she'd invest so much money in someone she hardly knows…

As we entered the store, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The place was loaded with beautiful clothes! Man, talk about don't judge a book by its cover! This is one hidden gem of a store here! The place is in excellent condition, it actually looked like it was in a lot better condition than some of the bigger businesses around the city. But the clothes were the most amazing sight inside the store! They were just amazing, some of the best looking stuff I've ever seen!

Yumemi smirked at my reaction as I took in the sight of the store with my jaw wide open. She silently followed me as I wandered around the store, looking for anything that suited my taste. Though the place had a great variety of amazing looking clothes, I didn't feel like I needed any of them…They just weren't…what would you call it…I guess they just weren't my style. They just didn't say, "I'm Chiyuri Kitashirakawa!"

I was just about to tell Yumemi I was ready to call it quits, but then I found something. I grew a big grin on my face as I inspected closely. My redheaded companion noticed my sudden interest and began to try peeking over my shoulder at what I was so enthralled with all of a sudden.

"Hey, I'm gonna go try this on quick." I notified Yumemi as I showed her what had captured my interest. She raised an eyebrow at my choice of clothing but didn't say anything about it.

She nodded in acknowledgment, "Alright, I'll be waiting outside the dressing room then." She said as she took a seat on a bench nearby.

"Okie-dokie, be out in a jiff." I said as I went into the dressing room. I quickly changed into the clothes I had picked out; luckily they were a perfect fit on me. Not too big or baggy, and not too small, it was just right, just the way I like it. They were also pretty comfortable, not itchy or anything of the sort!

Well, I had better not keep Yumemi waiting…I exited the dressing rooms and found Yumemi still sitting on the bench where I had last seen her. She was preoccupying herself with a book as she patiently waited for me to come out. I lightly cough to draw her attention away from her reading and direct it towards myself.

Sure enough she looks up from the book she was engrossed in and stares at me and smiles. She got up from the bench and put her book away and began to take a closer look at me. "You know, I was skeptical about this outfit at first…but it quite honestly looks good on you. Though I must ask…why a sailor's outfit?" she said.

I look down at the outfit I wore at her question. I wore a white shirt that had a blue neckerchief tied around the collar, and a pair of white shorts. I begin to blush a little and puff my cheeks out at her, "Because it's cute alright!?" Geez…

She laughs at my reasoning but doesn't question it any further, "Alright, alright, didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. I agree, you look quite cute in that outfit…I might even go so far as to say adorable!" she said as she put her hands on her face while she gawked at me affectionately. Is she…is she making fun of me!?

"Hrmph, whatever…It's cute, not adorable. Let's just go…" I grumble to her. I crossed my hands and turned away from her to emphasize my mood.

"Ahahaha…Of course, let's pay and make our way home…It's been quite a day after all." She says as she wipes tears of laughter from her eyes.

I quickly changed out of the sailor clothes and back into the clothes Yumemi gave me to wear. After that she paid the cashier for the outfit and then we were on our merry little way. Today sure was fun! It's been a long time since I've ever remembered having such a great time! I sure do owe Yumemi one for this little trip…I should at least say thanks…

"Um…Hey…Yumemi…" I begin, breaking the silence between us as we made our way back to her apartment.

"Yes?" she asked as she kept on walking.

"Uh, well…I just wanted to say…thanks…for the shopping I mean. It was…It was a lot of fun." I stutter out. Man, I blow at saying 'thank you'…

"Well, you're welcome; I enjoy going shopping myself, Ms. Chiyuri." Yumemi says with a smile.

"You know, you can just cut the 'Miss' crap now, just call me Chiyuri." I say. The whole 'miss' thing has been bothering me for a while now, it's not like I'm some rich snob who'll be all offended from being called by just my name…

Yumemi chuckles lightly and replies, "I'll do that then, Chiyuri."

The two of us continued to make our way to Yumemi's apartment, after one long day. It looks like we were out way later than intended, as the sun began to set over the city. As we kept walking along, I realized something. I could have ditched Yumemi any second today, I could have split and never have to see her again. Yet, here I am, right next to her, walking by her side back to her apartment.

How could I have gone from wanting to ditch her as quickly as possible, to remaining at her side the entire day by my own free will? I must be getting soft…Heck, I could run away right this second, the crowd is thick enough to cover my escape. Yet…I can't do it…something about this lady has got me wanting to stick to her like glue…yeah, I'm definitely going soft…

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**A/N: It feels like these chapters just can't get pass four-thousand words...I hate it when I can't get these chapters to at least three thousand words. It feels like they're too short...Well, can't be helped I suppose...Just a goal to shoot for next time I suppose!**

**Hope this chapter was enjoyable. It really doesn't help progress the story at all...I hope this'll be the last chapter that doesn't progress the story...Though I have a feeling that'll happen again anyways.  
**

**Meh, enjoy.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Well, it's been almost a week since Yumemi took me in, and all I can say is….this place is sooooooooo boring! I mean it was really fun and exciting at first, but it kinda lost its charm after a while, you know? I mean yeah, I guess I really shouldn't complain or anything, considering I got a roof over my head and all, but geez, being cooped up in an apartment just isn't my style. I like moving around…Yumemi insists that I stay and 'readjust to life' or something ridiculous like that…How would someone even readjust to life? That doesn't even make any sense!

So here I am, sitting here, watching a rerun of some sort of weird magical girl show I found after flipping through all the channels…Admittedly…it's pretty good…O-Or at least better than watching the news I mean! …Oh who am I kidding? I got hooked to the dang show within a minute. It's like a drug, ya try it once and you have to have more!

I'm actually really starting to envy the girl in this show…I mean yeah, I guess that outfit she's wearing is cringe worthy, but going on some crazy adventures using a bunch of magical powers would admittedly be pretty cool! It'd sure beat sitting around here, waiting for Yumemi to come back from the university she apparently works at…Man, I really sound like a five-year-old here, a teenager like me shouldn't be fantasize about going on magical adventures in ridiculous outfits…

Speaking of magic…I'm still no closer to figuring out what the heck Yumemi's 'artificial magic' thing is…I think it has something to do with that big honkin' glove thing she's always tinkering around with…I've been meaning to ask her about it but…honestly, I always chicken out. I'm always afraid she'll zap me with that crazy red light stuff like she did to that dog that one time…I mean I still hardly know a darn thing about the lady! Seriously, she's so hard to read…

Actually, looking at the time, it's pretty late in the evening; she usually comes home around this time with dinner. She usually just brings back some fast-food; though she does apparently know how to cook…I'm starting to wonder how she stays so fit if she eats out so much…genetics maybe?

As if on cue, the door swings open, and Yumemi comes in with a bag of what I presume to be dinner. "Hello, Chiyuri." She greets cheerfully as she closes the door behind herself, "How was your day?" Yeesh, I swear, this woman is perpetually happy…Haven't even once seen her upset yet…

"Eh, fine." I reply in a bored tone, not even bothering to move from my position on the couch. I've been lying here long enough to make my own indent on the sofa…There's not a lot to do when your restricted to just a tiny little apartment. She thinks it's 'too dangerous' to be wandering around by myself. I don't see how that argument is valid when I've been living on the streets for years just fine.

"That's good! I hope you've been making yourself at home."

"Yeah…" I absent mindedly respond as I keep staring at the television. Oh man, this show is getting really good…It's kind of surprising considering how terrible the title is...I mean who the fudge would combine the words 'sailor' and 'moon' and think it sounds like a good name for a show? They should can the genius who thought up that name…

"Well, time for dinner! I hope you're hungry!" Yumemi happily announces as she begins to set the table with a big smile on her face.

"Yeah…" I reply again with my eyes still firmly glued on the television screen as I flick the TV off with its remote, my eyes admittedly feel like they could melt out of their sockets for the amount of time I've been staring at the television...

Looks like we're having some more western food, I've got no clue what it is though…Yumemi's got one diverse taste in food…As I sit down at the table, Yumemi's smile seemingly grows to an impossible size, it's kinda creeping me out… "I have some wonderful news for you, Chiyuri!" the redhead says with enthusiasm, "I spoke with the dean of the university I work at today, and he said that he'd be willing to let you enroll!" Say what?

I knew that smile was bad news…"Uh…Professor, how old do you think I am exactly? I'm only fourteen, I'm preeeeeeetty sure you have at least graduated High-school before you even think about enrolling into any universities…" I let out a nervous laugh, yet Yumemi's expression doesn't change even after presenting my argument. Somehow I have the feeling she's going to punch a big gaping hole right through my logic…

"Normally that would be true, but I pulled a few strings here and there…and they agreed to let you in if you pass the entry-exam!" she explains cheerfully.

"I haven't gone to school for years, and you expect me to be able to pass some big fancy examination?" I ask skeptically, I swear, this woman has lost her marbles…I'm admittedly surprised that I even remember how to use proper grammar.

"Oh don't be so pessimistic! You'll do fine so long as you have faith in yourself!" Yumemi reassured. By that logic, I could jump off a cliff and survive so long as I have faith I won't be splattered all over the place when I reach the ground.

"Feh, if you say so…So, when exactly is this test?" I ask as I take a gulp out of my glass.

"Tomorrow." She states simply.

I almost spit out what was in my mouth in shock, "T-Tomorrow? How do you expect me to pass without any time to study!?" That and I'm gonna miss my programs!

"As I said, just have faith in yourself and you'll do fine." The redhead replies calmly before taking a sip from her own glass.

"Yeah…Sure, easy for you to say…" I mumble in response, "Just don't be disappointed when I fail then, got it?"

"I'm sure I won't be." Yumemi says nonchalantly as she takes a bite out of her food, "Now eat up, your food is getting cold." After that 'wonderful' news, my food becoming cold is the least of my worries…I mean, I haven't been in school for years! I'll fail miserably! Argh…Yumemi's crazier than I thought…

After a few awkward moments of silence, I begin to feel a little antsy…My thoughts begin to wander around as usual. Namely the question that's been on my mind for days…I wonder if I should just ask her…It's not like she'll turn me into a bloody mess over a little innocent question, right…? What's there to lose? Well…Here goes nothing…

"H-Hey Yumemi…" I say, successfully catching the redhead's full attention, "Y-Y'mind if I ask you a question?"

"Of course! As a professor, it's my job to answer any question one may have! Ask away!" Yumemi replies all too enthusiastically, I don't have a good feeling about this…or maybe she's just really devoted to her job as a university professor…I'll go with the latter.

"All right then…Ahem, so…I've been kinda wondering about this for a while b-but…Uh…What's the story with that…you know…over-sized glove contraption you've been working on…?" I ask timidly, "I mean…isn't it the same one that you used on that mutt you saved my sorry carcass from?"

"Ah, if you were so curious about it, why didn't you just ask in the first place? I don't bite, you know." Yumemi replies teasingly. Why couldn't have told me this earlier...? I did all that worrying over nothing! "Anyways, that contraption I've been working on is the key to proving my theory."

"And that theory would be…?"

"That magic exists!" Yumemi proclaims with pride. Yep, the doc's definitely off her rocker here…This is starting to sound like a really bad joke…from an insane asylum.

"Your…Your theory…is that magic…exists…?" I repeat in complete and utter disbelief. Y'know, getting as far away from this lady as remotely possible isn't sounding half bad right about now…

"That's right!" Yumemi confirms, "Now, before I answer your question, tell me, exactly how much do you know of the Grand Unified Theory?" the redhead asks as she rests her head on her two hands, taking on a serious expression. Boy, she must really take her science seriously…

"Er, well…Isn't it like the forces of nature that compose the universe or something technical and scientific like that?" I ask, "That's all I know, I never really excelled with this sciencey stuff." I add quickly. I'm familiar with the name, but I'm a little rusty on my scientific terms…

"Correct, that's the basic concept of the theory. That knowledge should suffice to understand my theory: That magic does indeed exist in our world." Boy, are we in for a story here tonight folks… "Now, before you dismiss the idea and call it preposterous, just listen to what I have to say, and then pass your judgment."

"Er, no offense, but I don't think you're going to make me believe in fairy-tales any time soon, Red, but you're sure welcome to try." I say skeptically.

"Hmm, well thank you for lending me your ears for the time being then." Yumemi says with what appears to be genuine gratitude, "Anyways, as you probably know, everything in the world is made up of some sort of element, even us humans are. All known elements are sorted and organized on the elemental table, I'd go on further, but at the risk of confusing or boring you, I'm sure you'd just like me to skip right on to the main subject, no?" I nod sheepishly in response and she continues her scientific spiel, "Very well then, as shocking as it may be, a few months prior to our meeting, I believe I discovered a new element."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…Back it up, Professor, you mean to tell me you discovered a new element?" I interrupt. She simply nods to answer my question, "Forgive me if I find that just a little hard to swallow, doc. Where did you find this 'new' element anyways?" I ask with a grain of salt.

"None taken, I do believe I'd doubt the tale I'm spinning if our roles were to be reversed." Yumemi says with a smile, "As for where I discovered this element…oddly enough, I found it in one of the cities gutters late one night during my occasional evening strolls, it was all over a bottle of alcohol. It was like nothing I had ever laid my eyes upon before…it was almost otherworldly…My only clue as to where this bottle came from was a particularly tipsy blonde woman with an umbrella stumbling away from the vicinity…" Yumemi said with a bit of awe at the recollection. Alright…This story must have been a drug induced hallucination or something…But then again…I've never seen Yumemi take even the most mundane sort of drugs used in medicine during the brief amount of time I've known her for…

"Alright then, humor me, where exactly is this bottle of alcohol?" I asked, still being a skeptic of this story. It gets more and more unbelievable with every passing second…

"Ah, you'd like some evidence, a good trait for every aspiring scientific mind." Yumemi says happily, "I've kept it safe and sound for further study." The redhead then stands from her seat and begins shuffling through one of her cupboards, which wasn't very well sorted at all. She soon pulls out a large glass jar that contained just as she had said in her story, a bottle of alcohol. Except this sure was a funky looking whiskey bottle, it had no brand name on it, and even stranger, it gave off an odd light…definitely not normal…Not that this proves anything, probably just a glow stick in there or something...right?

"Feel free to take a look, just take care not to open the jar's lid; we wouldn't want any foreign substances to affect my research subject after all." The redhead says as she hands the container to me. As I lay my hands on the container, I can immediately tell that whatever I'm holding isn't anything I've seen before…it almost feels whatever is in this thing has been having an effect on its container, it certainly doesn't feel like glass anymore, that's for sure… It's almost indescribable…just what is this thing made of? "Now, where was I…? Ah yes, the properties of the bottle…After looking at how strange and unfamiliar this material was, I decided to research it in my spare time, after a short period of time, I concluded that whatever this whiskey bottle has been covered in was in fact not composed of any sort of element one would find on an elemental table. So as any other scientist would, I began studying it further. A discovery like this is a once in a life time opportunity after all." The redhead says in a professional tone.

"First I experimented whether or not this material was durable or not, and as it turned out, it was not. This new element, despite its appearance, it turned out that it was quite easy to shatter, even more delicate than glass really…" Yumemi trailed off. Alright, all this sciency stuff is starting to give me a big headache…

"Hey doc, sorry to interrupt but can we get to the main point here? I mean, this is all very interesting and all but I'm really having a hard time keeping everything straight here…" I interrupt, causing Yumemi to grow a small frown as if she were upset that she was interrupted mid-lecture.

"Ahem, yes, of course…sorry, I can get a little carried away at times…" Yumemi replied sheepishly, "On to the purpose of our conversation then…After many fruitless experiments, I had begun to think that my research was nothing more than a waste of time, until one had finally succeeded…That this element, has a property that can seemingly create a seemingly endless amount of energy."

"Whoa hold up here…You mean to say you found some sort of endless fuel supply here?" I ask in amazement. Man, this discovery would put gas stations everywhere out of business if it's true!

"Something along those lines, yes. This material, I've found, condenses into a solid after a period of time, and begins to attract cells with a similar composition to it, which in result can be used as a seemingly endless energy supply." Yumemi says proudly, "It's unreal capabilities led me to bestow the name of 'magic' upon it. Personally, I find the name to be quite fitting."

"Wait, so that glove thing…That's powered by this element thing?" I ask curiously, giving the oversized glove a wary look. That thing admittedly kinda gives me the creeps…Sometimes I think it's going to randomly zap me into oblivion or something.

"Ah, a great deduction, Chiyuri. That is indeed what its fuel source is." Yumemi says proudly, "As you probably have figured out by now, this element can also form a mass of pure energy with enough focus, which can then effectively be used as a form of weapon, either non-lethal or completely lethal depending on how much energy is condensed into the shot."

"Like what you did to the dog that one night…right?" I ask.

"Correct, that would be a prime example." Yumemi confirms. "Of course, it was a non-lethal shot, the mutt should be back to scrounging about for food as we speak."

Hmmmm, well that's a relief…Even though that dog technically was out for my blood, I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. I guess I have a soft spot for animals, "Well…I gotta admit you're starting to make a believer out of me doc…just one thing that's still bugging me here though… how exactly would that huge honkin' glove prove your theory that magic exists and what not?"

"I created this 'glove thing' as you call it, as a medium for what could be. It has helped me make great progress in my research, namely my biggest discovery to date: this glove has been using another source for its energy, which would be the wearer of the glove, in this case, me." Yumemi explains, leaving me dumbfounded by what she had revealed. "You see, after a few field tests with this glove, I made a discovery, we humans also contain this element, albeit in small, almost unnoticeable amounts, but it flows within each and every one of us all the same. With the right catalyst, such as a small collection of magic, can bring out the magical properties that exist in all of us…of course, we'll never truly be able to bring about our true potential, such a thing would be impossible relying on a device to channel this power. But this artificial magic is a start…" the professor says in a hopeful tone.

I'm left speechless, it looks like the redhead did the impossible…she made a believer out of me. As much as I'd like to shout my objections to what she had just explained, her story, the evidence…it all made me keep quiet. I couldn't think of anything that could punch a hole in her logic, and even if I could, it felt like she would just present a logical explanation…Well played doc…Well played.

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it…I can't come up with any excuse not to believe you…" I say in defeat, "I guess you aren't a complete nut-job after all…" Though she may still qualify as a mad scientist yet…

"Erm…I'll take that as a compliment." Yumemi replies with a smile. The redhead then takes a quick look at the clock hanging from one of the walls, "Hrmmm, this explanation drew out much longer than initially planned…Well, off to bed now!" she exclaims giddily.

"Wha-What!? But it's not even eight yet; I'm fourteen years-old! I don't need a curfew!" I say in defiance.

"That's a horrible attitude to have Chiyuri…Plus isn't there a saying along the lines of 'my roof, my rules'?" the redhead counters.

"Y-Yeah well…You don't own the building, so it's not your roof!" I say back.

"You're correct, I don't own the roof, but I surely am renting it." Yumemi retorts with a beaming grin, "Besides, you have a big test tomorrow, it's best to get as much rest as possible. A good night's sleep will do much more for you than any amount of studying would."

That's right…I was so caught up with this whole magic thing that I had almost forgotten about that test…that I'm going to fail. Eh, well no use arguing with her. The lady convinced me magic exists, I'm almost certain she'd find a way to make me consent to turning in for the night effortlessly... "Alright fine, I'm going." I say in defeat, standing from my seat, I began to skulk off to get ready for bed.

"Sweet dreams!" Yuememi chirps happily. Somehow, I get the feeling she's mocking me…I mean, how on earth am I supposed to have anything remotely close to a good dream with this huge honkin' test hanging over my head? I know she says I just need to have some faith in myself, but it's hard to when you look at this at a logical stand point… Well, guess we'll see how this'll turn out tomorrow.

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**A/N: Remember back in the day when I actually updated this semi-often? Yeah...Me neither! I won't lie; I had a persistent case of writer's block on this since the last chapter. I kind of find it hard to write for some reason…the words just don't flow from my mind.**

**So yeah, don't expect updates on this any time soon. I had to mentally chide myself to even pick this up. Maybe I'll be more motivated once I finish my main story on here? Who knows, I'll try my best to finish this, but I'm not going to make any promises. Obligations aren't any fun after all. :P**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the wait. Later.**


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